More voters than ever cast ballots on the first day of early voting before a Georgia primary, with turnout nearly twice as high as the start of the 2020 primary.
Election data shows 27,298 Georgians voted in person Monday, with more Republican ballots cast than Democratic ballots.
This year’s primary features races for Georgia governor, the U.S. Senate, statewide offices and the General Assembly. Early voting is available across Georgia every weekday and on two Saturdays until May 20. Some counties are offering Sunday voting opportunities as well. Election day is May 24.
“Record turnout on the first day of early voting is a testament to an elections system that ensures top-level security and ease of access,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Tuesday. “Georgia voters statewide experienced short or nonexistent lines and a smooth voting process.”
Voters in Cobb and DeKalb counties initially experienced a problem Monday in which the correct ballots weren’t displayed. Some ballots failed to include a referendum on whether to create a city of Lost Mountain in Cobb, and DeKalb voters in several precincts were assigned to the wrong County Commission district after redistricting.
Election officials said they corrected the problem by instructing poll workers to manually pull up the correct ballots on touchscreens and by replacing check-in tablets that hadn’t been programmed correctly. No issues were reported Tuesday.
On the first day of early voting in the 2020 primary, 14,950 people cast in-person ballots. At the conclusion of three weeks of early voting, turnout reached 326,000 in 2020.
In the 2018 primary, 9,266 people voted on the first day.
Early voting turnout on Monday
Republican: 14,731
Democrat: 12,308
Nonpartisan: 259
Source: State election data
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